How we rate cards & offers
We're an independent UK publisher. Some links are affiliate links — but our scores and verdicts are not for sale. Here is exactly how we research and rate.
1. What we cover
We focus on UK products available to small businesses, sole traders and limited companies: business credit cards, business bank accounts, expense management tools, and rewards programmes (cashback and Avios).
2. How we research
- Read the provider's full terms and conditions, not just the marketing page.
- Open accounts where possible to test the real onboarding and dashboard.
- Cross-check pricing against the current FCA-required representative example.
- Re-check details on each scheduled update (at least quarterly, plus when offers change).
3. How we score
Each product is scored across five categories. Categories are weighted by relevance to UK SMEs.
| Category | Weight | What we look at |
|---|---|---|
| Rewards value | 25% | Earn rate, redemption value, FX rewards, signup bonus realism. |
| Fees & APR | 25% | Annual fee, representative APR, FX fee, cash-advance fee. |
| Eligibility | 20% | Who realistically gets approved (turnover, trading time, structure). |
| Tools & controls | 15% | Employee cards, spend limits, receipt capture, accounting integrations. |
| Trust & support | 15% | FCA / FOS status, Trustpilot signal, support hours, dispute handling. |
4. Independence & disclosure
We earn a commission when readers apply through some links. We label affiliate links clearly, and providers never pay to change a verdict, position in a comparison, or wording of a review. See our disclosures for the full statement.
5. Corrections
If a fee, APR or offer changes, we update the page and add a note in the change log. If you spot an error, please email us at hello@example.com.
6. What we will not do
- Recommend a product purely because it pays the highest commission.
- Promote a signup bonus without warning about the borrowing cost.
- Hide negative findings about a product we earn from.
James has written about UK consumer and business credit since 2014, including reviews of Capital on Tap, Amex Business and Barclaycard Select. He focuses on APR, fees and real-world reward value.
- Former personal finance reporter
- Specialises in UK business credit cards & APR